Chang'an

Quick Facts: Who was Chang'an?

Subject:

Chang'an

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Ancient capital of China, site of major dynasties including Western Han and Tang.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Chang'an, located in China's Shaanxi Province, was the capital city of several Chinese dynasties, including the Western Han and the Tang, from 202 BC to 907 AD. At various times, it was the largest city in the world. Its name was subsequently changed, and during the Ming dynasty period its modern name of Xi'an was adopted. The site of Chang'an south of the Wei River in central Xi'an has been inhabited since Neolithic times, when the Yangshao culture had a major center at Banpo to its south during the 5th millennium BC. Fenghao, the twin capitals of the Western Zhou, straddled the Feng River to its southwest from the 11th to 8th centuries BC and the state of Qin and its imperial dynasty had their capital in nearby Xianyang, north of the Wei, in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The First Emperor's mausoleum and its Terracotta Army lay to its east. Liu Bang moved his court to the Changle Palace in 200 BC, soon after the establishment of the Western Han. It held a central position in the large but easily defended Guanzhong Region, near but outside the ruins of the Qin Xianyang and Epang Palaces. Han Chang'an grew up to the north of it and the adjacent Weiyang Palace. Weiyang continued to serve as the imperial palace of the Xin, late Eastern Han, Western Jin, Han-Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and early Sui dynasties and became the largest palace ever built, covering 4.8 km2 (1,200 acres)—nearly seven times larger than the Forbidden City—before its destruction under the early Tang.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The main areas of Sui and Tang-era Chang'an was south of the earlier settlement and southeast of Weiyang. Around 750 AD, Chang'an was called a "million-man city" in Chinese records; most modern estimates put the population within the walls of the Tang city at around 800,000–1,000,000. The 742 AD census recorded in the New Book of Tang listed the population of Jingzhao, the province including the capital and its metropolitan area, as 1,960,188 people in 362,921 households and modern scholars—including Charles Benn and Patricia Ebrey—have concurred that Chang'an and its immediate hinterland could have supported around 2,000,000 people. Amid the Fall of Tang, the warlord Zhu Wen forcibly relocated most of the city's remaining population to Luoyang in 904 AD. Chang'an was of minor importance in the following centuries but again became a regional center under the Northern Song.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Chang'an

True or False: “The modern city of Xi'an was established directly over the ruins of the original Qin Xianyang palace complex.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the Ming dynasty settled on Xi'an and erected walls near the former Sui and Tang district, the site itself has been continuously inhabited since Neolithic times.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Chang and Eng Bunker — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Famous Thai-American conjoined twin brothers, pioneers of the 'Siamese twins' label.
• Chang Kiha — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and radio host known for Kiha & The Faces.
• Chang Mi-hee — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Acclaimed South Korean actress known for her roles in television and film.
• Chang Myon — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Key South Korean statesman, diplomat, and Prime Minister of the Second Republic.
• Chang Yŏngsil — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Joseon Dynasty inventor and scientist, renowned for mechanical engineering.
• Chantal Akerman — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Belgian filmmaker known for domesticity, time, and feminist cinema.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chang'an